A Study on the Frequency of Food Consumption and its Relationship to BMI in School Children and Adolescents in Abha City, KSA

This study aimed at finding a relationship between frequency of food consumption and Body mass index (BMI). In this study, 200 school going adolescent girls, 12 – 19 years were selected randomly from two schools which were randomly sampled out of 30 schools in Abha province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Their height, weight and waist circumference were measured. Physical activity, family history of obesity or underweight (thinness Grade 1) and dietary profiles including frequency of food consumption were collected by an interview process. Pearson’s Chi square was computed between BMI and frequency of food consumption. Statistical analysis revealed that frequency of food consumption and physical activity did not relate to BMI. However family history of obesity or underweight (p